There are some things that, even if you’re absolutely convinced they will happen, will still impart a sense of shock and wonder when they actually play out. Of course, the level of shock and wonder is commensurate to how much the people involved care about what’s happening. Very dramatic events will lead to greater shock and wonder.

Although the spot to the left of the emperor seemed empty, faint fluctuations emanated from there, along with a gentle voice.

“I think you already know the answer, Your Majesty. Could the words of any other person actually cause Your Majesty to change his mind?”

As the voice echoed out, a person appeared in the empty space next to the emperor, attracting the attention of everyone present. He wore a white daoist robe, looked elegant and refined, and had a head of long violet hair. He seemed magical, like an impermanent spirit in the wind.

When Xu Qing heard that voice, and saw that person materialize, his face remained completely expressionless. However, his right hand slowly clenched into a fist, so hard that veins bulged on its surface. There was no need for any further confirmation or corroboration. Based on the voice and appearance of this person… Xu Qing knew who he was.

A month ago, the clay fox had warned him about this imperial preceptor, causing him to start speculating who he was. And yet, seeing him in person caused surprise and shock to assail him like a tempest.

He had no idea why this person had become the imperial preceptor, or why he had revealed his presence so casually. He also had no idea what sort of relationship this person had with the emperor, or what deals they might have made. He only knew that this person was from Torchlight. He was the one responsible for the death of Master Sixth, had orchestrated the coup in Sea-Sealing County, and… was Xu Qing’s mortal enemy who he couldn’t stand to live under the same sky with!

He only knew that this person… was that very same crow he’d sworn to kill! 1

Xu Qing was not like he’d been in the past, when a single look at the Crown Prince of Violet and Cyan would cause him to experience a breakdown. He could control his emotions much better now, and was able to conceal them in the depths of his heart. Therefore, though Xu Qing’s gaze hardened and he inhaled deeply, he just listened to what everyone else was saying.

“Greetings, Imperial Preceptor.” Everyone in the crowd bowed hands and respectfully uttered the same greeting.

In traditional human society, imperial preceptors didn’t have any true power, but they were very important, and were generally second only to the emperor and the Grand Emperors.2

The emperor waited for everyone to greet the imperial preceptor, and then he smiled faintly as he looked at Planet Ancient Emperor.

Meanwhile, the imperial preceptor turned slightly in place to reveal that he was wearing a mask. It was a white mask featuring a smiling face. It looked very gruish, and yet most people who looked at him wouldn’t even notice the mask, as his eyes were so radiant that they captured all attention. As he looked at the gathered officials one by one, he nodded in greeting, until… his gaze reached Xu Qing.

Xu Qing looked at him.

The imperial preceptor smiled. He was arrogant in his own way, and did things the way he liked. If some other person was the imperial preceptor, they might choose not to reveal their true body the way he had. But he was the Crown Prince of Violet and Cyan! He wasn’t the type of person who would hide in the shadows, nor would he let his own goals influence how he acted. Therefore, he slowly reached up and took off his mask, revealing his true face to all of the officials.

It was the first time these officials had ever seen his face. Previously, only the emperor knew what he looked like. Up to this point, the most anyone else had seen was a white robe and a smiling white mask. But now, as he took the mask off and revealed his face, many people couldn’t prevent shocked and bewildered looks from appearing on their own faces.

That was because… he looked about seventy-percent the same as Xu Qing! His face was somewhat paler, and also colder and more nefarious. Yet his radiant eyes didn’t seem to contain even a trace of impurity. He had heroic, sword-like eyebrows, thin pursed lips, and angular features. Altogether, the imperial preceptor looked like a white dragon, incredibly beautiful, but also profoundly cold.

No one in the crowd said or did anything, but their minds were all racing. After all, the imperial preceptor and Xu Qing didn’t just look similar physically. There was something else about the way they carried themselves that was very much alike.

Although such similarities could technically be the result of various magical techniques, that wasn’t something the imperial preceptor would do considering his status. Therefore… there was only one explanation.

And that explanation caused everyone to think deeply about what was going on. Then people started thinking about the assassination attempt, whereupon many furtive glances were cast in the emperor’s direction.

Meanwhile, the imperial preceptor ignored the gazes of the crowd. Smiling warmly at Xu Qing, he said, “We meet again, lil’ bro.”

Xu Qing looked back calmly at the imperial preceptor, not saying a word.

“I wasn’t behind the assassination attempt,” the imperial preceptor continued. “Such things are beneath me. I would never do something like that.”

Turning, he sat down next to the emperor and looked up at the chosen on Planet Ancient Emperor. The officials all did the same.

Xu Qing’s facial expression didn’t change. It was almost as if he hadn’t even seen the Crown Prince of Violet and Cyan. He just sat there as if nothing had happened, all while keeping his attention on Ningyan. He also calculated how long it was before he needed to leave. He had to do those things to control the tempest in his heart.

Everything was as quiet and still as a lake with no wind or waves. Yet every single person was shocked, to the point that, if their shock could all be combined, it would turn into an astonishing tidal wave. As the quiet persisted, time passed. Eventually, two hours had gone by.

At that point, there was finally a development among the various chosen seeking enlightenment on Planet Ancient Emperor.

Among the thousands of cultivators seated cross-legged in the clouds, there were some around whom auspicious signs appeared, turning into supernatural phenomena that shone with dazzling light. That indicated that the person had either succeeded, or was about to. And the amount of auspicious phenomena and shining light would indicate how deep their enlightenment was.

There were many more people who were still in the middle of the process. Those who succeeded had not gained enlightenment of any of the heavenly marquises’ legacies, but rather, the legacy daos of heroes who had died over the years in war. They included divine abilities, techniques, and the like. Though they weren’t on the same level as the heavenly marquises’ legacies, they were still destined opportunities.

“That’s the combined sword technique of Chen Qinghai, the commander of 10,000 men who was a close follower of Grand Emperor Swordsage. Not bad. Not bad at all. The chosen sent out by the Swordsage Division are extraordinary. That legacy is second only to one from a heavenly marquis!”

“The heroic martyr Chen Qinghai isn’t the only one whose legacies have been acquired. Look over there, everyone. See that yin-yang statue? You can find a description of that in certain ancient records. It’s the Black-White Fiendification Art. I’m not familiar with whoever’s gaining enlightenment of it. Based on their outfit, they’re presumably a disciple from the Godharvest Deep Universe Sect.”

As the officials chatted about the proceedings, the atmosphere started to grow lively. More and more disciples were gaining enlightenment. Auspicious, multicolored light shone up constantly from the planet. Whenever someone succeeded in gaining enlightenment, they would be teleported off Planet Ancient Emperor and back to the rainbow bridge. Each person only had one chance to seek enlightenment.

Xu Qing was looking in Ningyan’s direction. By the time two hours passed, nothing had happened with Ningyan. He was obviously working very hard, yet hadn’t had any success. Xu Qing wasn’t worried. Ningyan had good aptitude, and even if he didn’t acquire something on the level of the heavenly kings, he would surely benefit somehow.

With such thoughts on his mind, Xu Qing looked away from Ningyan and at the others, all while trying to dispel the tempest in his heart. For the most part, he didn’t recognize any of the chosen participating in the enlightenment session. That said, based on their clothing, he could identify the imperial princes. Plus, there were a few people he had seen before.

For example, there was Princess Anhai, as well as Seventh Prince. As for the latter, it was Xu Qing’s first time seeing him since arriving in the imperial capital. When Xu Qing spotted Seventh Prince, his gaze turned cold. However, seeing that he wasn’t surrounded by any auspicious signs or dazzling light, he decided to check closer on Princess Anhai.

But then, his heart surged, and he suddenly shifted his gaze to a spot in the clouds where no one was seeking enlightenment. The swirling clouds there seemed thinner than in other locations, making it just barely possible to make out some mountains of Planet Ancient Emperor beneath it.

Those mountains were what attracted Xu Qing’s attention. It was a great distance away, and it was only the top cloud layer of Planet Ancient Emperor that had been opened. No one could actually go to the surface of the planet. And yet, Xu Qing could sense some faint fluctuations coming from the lands of the planet. Despite how faint they were, they seemed to be calling out to him.

As Xu Qing examined the area with the thin clouds, he saw that though there were people seeking enlightenment nearby, none were actually in that specific area.

It was almost as if… they couldn’t sense that call because it was too specific.

What is that…? Is it a legacy?

From what Xu Qing could tell, the bits of enlightenment sought and received by everyone else were like thoughts drifting among the clouds. In contrast, this call from the mountains was a unique energy from a physical object of some sort.

As Xu Qing pondered what that meant, the clouds on Planet Ancient Emperor shifted again, rising up to cover everyone except for one person.

The dramatic motion of the clouds attracted the attention of the onlookers. Everyone looked over to see a huge vortex forming around the one person that was visible. A most holy sign appeared around that person as well, 30,000 meters tall. What was more, golden fire spread out around him.

“The legacy of a heavenly marquis!”

“That’s the daoist magic of Exalted Celestial Flame Halberd, who ranked number ten among the 108 heavenly marquises.” 𝐟𝗿ee𝘄o𝘃el.𝐜o𝚖

“The person gaining enlightenment… is the grandson of the minister of war. It’s Meng Yunbai!”

Within the imperial capital, people from powerful organizations and rogue cultivators alike were looking at Planet Ancient Emperor and were visibly moved. Even many of the other seekers of enlightenment opened their eyes and looked in the direction of Meng Yunbai, their eyes glittering with surprise, confusion, envy, and defiance. Outside of the imperial palace, the gathered officials smiled, and the emperor’s eyes shone with praise.

Xu Qing was the only one who, after briefly glancing at Meng Yunbai, shifted his attention back to that area of thinning clouds with the mountains beneath it.

The call is getting a lot stronger….

1. The main “crow” references are chapter 380 and 402. There might be some others, but unfortunately, because of how often golden crow stuff comes up, it’s hard to search for the references. ☜

2. In real life, the imperial preceptor was essentially a high-ranking religious leader in the Yuan Dynasty, who would have a lot of power and influence over religious matters, and who would advise the emperor, but who didn’t have much political or military power. The second character in the two-character title is the common character for ‘teacher.’ As far as how the position works in a xianxia setting, well, that is up to interpretation and the whim of the author. But the description here roughly matches with the real-life description of the position, in as far as it relates to the relative power wielded by this person. If you want to learn some about how the real-life imperial preceptors worked, here’s the wiki link. ☜